Carrier for bottles and the like and divider structure therefor

ABSTRACT

A carrier for bottles and the like is described which has an improved divider structure. This divider structure is molded of a stiff plastics material and comprises a horizontal grid of longitudinal and lateral members integral with each other at regular points of intersection to form bottle-receiving compartments therebetween. A peripheral reinforcing strip surrounds the grid and is integrally joined to the ends of the longitudinal and lateral members. Bottle separating members are also integrally joined to and extend vertically downward from the longitudinal and lateral members between the intersections. The divider structure is releasably held within a paperboard tray and in use the tray with divider structure fits within an enclosing paperboard shell.

United I States Patent [191 Woodgate CARRIER FOR BOTTLES AND THE LIKE AND DIVIDER STRUCTURE THEREFOR [75] Inventor: Richard E. Woodgate, London,

Ontario, Canada [73] Assignee: Labatt Breweries of Canada Limited,

London, Ontario, Canada [22] Filed: Feb. 9, 1972 [21] App]. No.: 224,776

[52] US. Cl 229/15, 220/21, 229/45 [51] Int. Cl. 865d 3/24, B65d 5/50 [58] Field of Search 229/15, 33, 32, 35,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,055,5 31 9/ 1 962 Chelbor 3,148,822 9/1964 Yochum, Jr 3,252,582 5/1966 Keselman e 3,373,921 3/1968 Crane 229/23 3,409,202 ll/1968 Belcher...' 229/45 3,645,437 2/1972 Giebel 229/34 R FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,534,869 6/1968 France 220/21 Will [ Aug. 14, 1973 Primary Examiner-Davis T. Moorhead Attorney- Arnold B. Christen, Frank E. Caffoe. et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A carrier for bottles and the like is described which has an improved divider structure. This divider structure is molded of a stiff plastics material and comprises a horizontal grid of longitudinal and lateral members integral with each other at regular points of intersection to form bottle-receiving compartments therebetween. A peripheral reinforcing strip surrounds the grid and is integrally joined to the ends of the longitudinal and lateral members. Bottle separating members are also integrally joined to and extend vertically downward from the iongitudinal and lateral members between the intersections.

The divider structure is releasably held within a paperboard tray and in use the tray with divider structure fits within an enclosing paperboard shell.

12 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Pa tonted Aug. 14, 1973 3,752,385

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 minim- I J Patented Aug. 14, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet 8 CARRIER FOR BOTTLES AND THE LIKE AND DIVIDER STRUCTURE THEREFOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to a carrier for bottles and the like and more particularly to a divider structure for the carrier. l

2. Background of the Invention It has long been the usual practice to use paperboard containers, e.g. of hardboard or corrugated cardboard, for the transportation and sale of bottled beverages. The cartons used for transporting bottled beer will normally include top closure flaps so that the bottles during delivery and storage are protected from light. The reason for this is that beer even when packaged in darkened glass bottles does tend to deteriorate somewhat when subjected to light.

One form of container used for bottled beer is a relatively light container made from cardboard which after one use is returned to the carton manufacturer for repulping. Another form of container is one which does not need to be These after each use and is termed a re' tripper or, in other words, a container which can be refilled and reused many times by the wholesaler before its use is terminated owing to deterioration of the material from which the material is manufactured.

the retripper containers are generally constructed from fibreboard or corrugated cardboard and usually comprise an external rectangular shell or casing of corrugated cardboard into which is inserted a rectangular tray of corrugated cardboard containing a divider structure constructed from a number of strips of cardboard interlocked to give a series of square apertures to contain 12 or 24 bottles. There has been a tendency for the divider to become distorted or warped after it has been used a few times and this can present serious problems in automatic filling machines where the bottles are dropped into the various compartments. A serious interruption of the automatic sequence can result. Warping of the separators can also cause severe scuffing of paper labels on bottles.

Because of these problems it has usually been necessary to reinforce the inner tray and dividers by means of metal reinforcing strips. The insertion of the strips cannot be conveniently done automatically on a machine and this has meant a very time consuming manual operation which tended to greatly increase the manufacturing costs of the retripper containers.

Various attempts have also been made to substitute plasticsmaterials for the traditional container materials but these have not presented a satisfactory solution to the problem. A container containing 24 full beer bottles weighs approximately 40 pounds and it will be appreciated that because of the weight involved the container must be extremely strong to withstand the kind of rough handling that it will receive without the bottles being broken. In order to provide the container with adequate strength to withstand these conditions so much plastic material must be used in constructing the walls that the cost of the container becomes prohibitive.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved retripper bottle carrier in which the walls of the carrierare constructed from fibreboard or corrugated cardboard.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention the existing problems involved in the use of paperboard retripper bottle carriers have been overcome by providing a divider which is molded of a stiff plastics material. The divider unit comprises a horizontal grid of longitudinal and lateral members integral with each other at regular points of intersection to form bottle-receiving compartments therebetween. A peripheral reinforcing strip surrounds this grid and is integrally joined to the ends of the longitudinal and lateral members. Conviently, the peripheral reinforcing strip is made of the same plastics material as the grid members and is integrally joined thereto. In this event, the reinforcing strip should be substantially thicker, say, two to three times thicker, than the grid members. Bottle separating members are integrally joined to and extend vertically downward from the longitudinal and lateral members at locations between the above mentioned intersections.

The divider unit is placed within a paperboard tray having a bottom wall, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls. Since the peripheral reinforcing strip is quite heavy and strong, the divider unit when fitted within the tray forms a strong and rigid carrier unit. This tray containing the plastic divider unit can then be combined with an inexpensive paperboard outer shell or casing to form a complete retripper carrier which is readily assembled and which is light in weight and has excellent dimensional stability.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The plastics divider structure is normally arranged such that the horizontal grid and peripheral reinforcing strip engage the bottles in the upper half thereof. The bottle separating members can conveniently be in the form of thin, downwardly extending strips of a plastic and the bottoms of these strips will normally be spaced from the bottom of the corrugated cardboard tray within which the divider structure is positioned. the peripheral reinforcing strip preferably rests on the tops of the side walls of the tray.

The tray, preferably of corrugated cardboard, and the plastics divider structure are locked together to provide a stable, integrated structure, in any convenient way. Thus according to a preferred embodiment the plastics divider structure is held in position in the tray by means of flaps which form extensions of the end walls of the tray. These flaps are folded over the peripheral reinforcing strip and attached to the end walls of the tray, thereby firmly retaining the divider structure. Conveniently the ends of the flaps have laterally projecting tabs which engage slots in the end walls of the tray. In this way, the divider structure is securely held in the tray, but can be readily detached therefrom when desired. Alternately, the outer face of the peripheral reinforcing strip may include outwardly projecting tabs which engage in slots in the side and/or end walls of the tray. In this instance, when the divider structure is pushed down into the tray, the tabs snap into position in the slots thus rigidly holding the divider structure in the tray, again in a fashion that permits its ready release.

According to another preferred embodiment, a pair of D-shaped handles are provided at the ends of the divider structure. These are preferably integrally molded with the divider structure itself and extend upwardly from the end sections of the peripheral reinforcing strip. This means that the handles extend upwardly above the upper edges of the corrugated cardboard tray.

In assembling the carrier for use, the tray containing the plastics divider structure is placed within an outer shell, typically made of corrugated cardboard which serves as a lid for the carrier and as a protective shield for the tray and bottles therein. Conveniently, this outer shell has an open bottom in which the base of the tray may serve asthe bottom of the carrier. the shell is desirably secured to the tray and divider structure, and this may be effected in a variety of ways. With the structure of the present invention, all of the advantages of low cost production and strength characteristics inherent in corrugated cardboard construction are retained while the necessary dimensional stability which cannot be provided by a corrugated cardboard structure alone is provided by the plastics divider structure. The plastics divider structure is an advantageous feature of the invention for it provides the functions served by the combination of a metal frame and fibreboard partition in use at the present time. Therefore, a single element, conveniently moulded from one plastics material as a unitary structure, effectively replaces two elements composed of dissimilar materials. The combination of the corrugated cardboard tray with the plastics divider structure greatly simplifies the construction of a retripper carrier and also simplifies the disposal of and reuse of certain components of the carrier. Thus, it is evident that the outer shell will become unusable first and this can be disposed of while the tray and divider structure can simply be removed and placed in a fresh outer shell. After a considerable number of uses the corrugated cardboard tray itself may start to become damaged or softened for various reasons and when this occurs the plastic divider can be easily pulled out of the tray and assembled into a fresh tray so that it continues in use. Thus, it will be seen that not only is the basic construction itself simplified by the structure of the present invention but maximum utilization can be obtained of each of the components of the complete carrier. Additionally, the complete carrier is cleaner and more streamlined looking than retripper carriers currently in use.

The invention is illustrated by the attached drawings which are intended merely to show preferred embodiments thereof without limiting the definition in any way. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a complete bottle carrier of the invention with portions broken away;

FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the inner tray and plastics divider structure.

FIG. 3 shows a blank for forming the paperboard tray;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view showing the carrier with the flaps closed; and

FIG. 5 is an alternative embodiment of the outer shell.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, a preferred form of container embodying the invention consists of three nested units, namely, an outer shell or casing C, and inner tray T and a divider structure D.

The outer shell C, as shown in FIG. 1, is made from a one-piece paperboard blank, such as a relatively lightweight, inexpensive corrugated cardboard. The blank is cut, creased and folded, and its parts are united to obtain a pair of parallel side walls 10 and a pair of parallel end walls 11. Each of the side walls 10 has an extension 12 bent and folded along crease line 13 to form top closure flaps. These top flaps have additional crease lines 14 and beyond these crease lines are a pair of narrow flaps 15 which are intended to be folded at right angles to the main flaps 12. The ends of the narrow flaps 15 are recessed. The end walls 11 also contain cut-out portions 18.

The construction of the tray T is best shown by FIG. 2 from which it will be seen that it is also made from a one-piece paperboard blank, such as a relatively strong corrugated cardboard or fibreboard. This blank is also cut, creased and folded and its parts are united to obtain a bottom wall 20, a pair of parallel side walls 21 and a pair of parallel end walls 22. Four end flaps 23 are also provided which fold inside of and overlap with the end walls 22. These flaps 23 are attached to the end walls 22, e.g. by means of an adhesive, when the tray is assembled.

The end walls also include four flaps 24 extending from the upper edges thereof and these flaps 24 have laterally projecting tabs 25. These flaps 24 are intended to be folded inwardly and downwardly around the peripheral reinforcing strip of the plastics divider structure and the tabs 25 fit within slots 26. As will be seen from FIG. I, the walls of the tray T do not extend as high as the walls of the outer shell C and normally extend between half and three-quarters of the distance up the walls of the casing.

The illustrated form of the invention also includes divider structure D which is a molded unitary plastics structure, conveniently made from a thermoplastic material such as a polyethylene or a polyamide. The di vider structure is in the form of a horizontal grid formed by a plurality of longitudinal members 27 and a plurality of lateral members 28. These are integral with each other at regular points of intersection 29 to form bottle receiving compartments 30 therebetween.

Surrounding this grid is a peripheral reinforcing strip 31 which is integrally joined to the ends of the longitudinal grid members 27 and to the ends of the lateral grid members 28. The peripheral strip 31 has slightly rounded or radiused corners 32 to enhance the strength thereof.

Between each pair of intersecting points 29 in the grid as well as between intersecting points 29 and the adjacent peripheral strip, a bottle separating member 33 is integrally formed with the grid member. These bottle separating members 33 extend vertically downward and when the divider structure D is resting within the tray T the bottom ends of these separating members 33 are spaced from the bottom 20 of tray T. the purpose of these dividers 33 is to prevent direct contact between the bottles which are in position in the bottle receiving openings 30. The

At the ends of the divider structure D are a pair of handle members 34 having a pair of vertically extending members 35 and a crossbar 36. These together form a handopening 37. Reinforcing struts 38 are also provided for stiffening the handle 34. A triangular spur 39 extends inwardly from each crossbar 36 and each spur (which is formed by two projecting limbs includes a slot 40. The purpose of this slot is to receive and retain both flaps 15 of outer casing C ln assembling the container, the flat tray blanket is pushed, for instance, by a mandrel, down into opened outer shell C and, in this operation, the end and side walls are folded to the vertical position with the side wall flaps 23 folded inside the end walls 22. These flaps 23 are secured in position by the application of an adhesive. The divider structure is then dropped in on top of the tray so that the peripheral reinforcing strip 31 restson the top edges of side walls 21 and end flaps 23. The top edges of end walls 22 are flush with the top of the peripheral reinforcing strip. in this position, the retaining flaps 24 are folded inwardly and downwardly around the peripheral strip 31 and the tabs 25 are fitted within slots 26. With the tabs secured, the divider structure D is firmly held in position in the tray, but can be readily detached therefrom when desired.

The tray and divider structure are thenplaced in preformed outer shell C which will normally have no bottom. The tray and divider structure fits snugly within the shell and during transportation and/or storage they are further retained together by the flaps which are held in slots 40. In this way the three units of the entire structure are held together and are provided with the necessary rigidity by means of the divider structure D. It will also be seen from FIG. 1 that when the entire structure has been assembled the hand openings 37 of the handle members 34 are in alignment with the cutout opening 18 in the end walls 11 of the shell C. Thus, it will be seen that the container can be carried in either the open or closed position by grasping the plastics handle members 34.

Flg. 5 shows another embodiment of the invention in which the spur slots 40 are not provided. With this arrangement the flaps 15 are held in closed position by means of longitudinally projecting tabs 17 formed by end recesses 16. these tabs 17 are held by abutment against the upper surface of the hand openings 37 when the top flaps 12 are closed.

From the foregoing it is believed that the construction, objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily comprehended by persons skilled in the art. It is to be clearly understood that various changes in the carrier set forthabove may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance, the plastics divider structure may be removably secured to the tray by means of outwardly projecting tabs on the outer face of the peripheral reinforcing strip which engage slots in the corrugated cardboard tray. Again, the casing may be provided with some cut-out slots to engage projecting tabs on the peripheral reinforcing strip. Accordingly, it is intended that all matter contained in the description or shown in the drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

l. A carrier for bottles and the like, comprising a. a paperboard tray having a bottom wall, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls; and

b. a unitary divider structure removably disposed within the tray, said divider being molded of a stiff plastics material and comprising a horizontal grid of longitudinal and lateral members integral with each other at regular points of intersection to form bottle-receiving compartments therebetween, a peripheral reinforcing strip surrounding said grid and integrally joined to the ends of said longitudinal and lateral members and bottle separating members integrally joined to and extending vertically downward from the longitudinal and lateral members between said intersections.

2. A carrier according to claim 1, wherein a pair of upwardly extending handle members are integrally formed with the peripheral reinforcing strip at the ends of the divider structure, said handles having gripping portions which extend above the upper edges of the tray and walls.

3. A carrier according to claim 2, wherein the end walls of the tray include projecting flaps which fold around the peripheral reinforcing strip of the divider structure to retain the divider structure in the tray.

4. A carrier according to claim 3, wherein laterally projecting tabs are provided adjacent the flap ends, which tabs engage slots in the walls of the tray.

5. A carrier according to claim 4, wherein two flaps are provided on each end of the tray.

6. A carrier for bottles and the like, comprising a. a paperboard outer shell having a pair of side walls,

a pair of end walls and top closure flaps;

-b. a paperboard tray removably disposed within said casing, said tray having a bottom wall, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls; and

c. a unitary divider structure removably disposed within the tray, said divider being molded of a stiff plastics material and comprising a horizontal grid of longitadinal and lateral members integral with each other at regular points of intersection to form bottle-receiving compartments therebetween, a peripheral reinforcing strip surrounding said grid and integrally joined to the ends of said longitudinal and lateral members and bottle separating members integrally joined to and extending vertically downward from the longitudinal and lateral members between said intersections.

7. A carrier according to claim 6, wherein a pair of upwardly extending ha dle members are integrally formed with the peripheral reinforcing strip at the ends of the divider structure, said handles having gripping portions which extend above the upper edges of the tray end walls.

8. A carrier according to claim 7, wherein the handle gripping portions are beneath the outer shell top closure flaps and openings are provided in the end walls of the outer shell to provide access to the handles.

9. A carrier according to claim 8, wherein the outer shell top closure flaps have additional flaps foldably connected thereto, said additional flaps being in a vertical downward position when the top closure flaps are in the closed position.

10. A carrier according to claim 9, wherein said additional flaps in closed position are held within slots formed in inwardly projecting spurs on the handle members.

11. a carrier according to claim 10, wherein the end walls of the tray include projecting flaps which fold around the peripheral reinforcing strip of the divider structure to retain the divider structure in the tray.

12. A carrier according to claim 11, wherein laterally projecting tabs are provided adjacent the flap ends,

which tabs engage slots in the walls of the tray. 

1. A carrier for bottles and the like, comprising a. a paperboard tray having a bottom wall, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls; and b. a unitary divider structure removably disposed within the tray, said divider being molded of a stiff plastics material and comprising a horizontal grid of longitudinal and lateral members integral with each other at regular points of intersection to form bottle-receiving compartments therebetween, a peripheral reinforcing strip surrounding said grid and integrally joined to the ends of said longitudinal and lateral members and bottle separating members integrally joined to and extending vertically downward from the longitudinal and lateral members between said intersections.
 2. A carrier according to claim 1, wherein a pair of upwardly extending handle members are integrally formed with the peripheral reinforcing strip at the ends of the divider structure, said handles having gripping portions which extend above the upper edges of the tray and walls.
 3. A carrier according to claim 2, wherein the end walls of the tray include projecting flaps which fold around the peripheral reinforcing strip of the divider structure to retain the divider structure in the tray.
 4. A carrier according to claim 3, wherein laterally projecting tabs are provided adjacent the flap ends, which tabs engage slots in the walls of the tray.
 5. A carrier according to claim 4, wherein two flaps are provided on each end of the tray.
 6. A carrier for bottles and the like, comprising a. a paperboard outer shell having a pair of side walls, a pair of end walls and top closure flaps; b. a paperboard tray removably disposed within said casing, said tray having a bottom wall, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls; and c. a unitary divider structure removably disposed within the tray, said divider being molded of a stiff plastics material and comprising a horizontal grid of longitudinal and lateral members integral with each other at regular pointS of intersection to form bottle-receiving compartments therebetween, a peripheral reinforcing strip surrounding said grid and integrally joined to the ends of said longitudinal and lateral members and bottle separating members integrally joined to and extending vertically downward from the longitudinal and lateral members between said intersections.
 7. A carrier according to claim 6, wherein a pair of upwardly extending handle members are integrally formed with the peripheral reinforcing strip at the ends of the divider structure, said handles having gripping portions which extend above the upper edges of the tray end walls.
 8. A carrier according to claim 7, wherein the handle gripping portions are beneath the outer shell top closure flaps and openings are provided in the end walls of the outer shell to provide access to the handles.
 9. A carrier according to claim 8, wherein the outer shell top closure flaps have additional flaps foldably connected thereto, said additional flaps being in a vertical downward position when the top closure flaps are in the closed position.
 10. A carrier according to claim 9, wherein said additional flaps in closed position are held within slots formed in inwardly projecting spurs on the handle members.
 11. a carrier according to claim 10, wherein the end walls of the tray include projecting flaps which fold around the peripheral reinforcing strip of the divider structure to retain the divider structure in the tray.
 12. A carrier according to claim 11, wherein laterally projecting tabs are provided adjacent the flap ends, which tabs engage slots in the walls of the tray. 